Ottawa's Confederation Line project agreement finalized

In Ottawa, ON, Canada, the city finalized the project agreement with Rideau Transit Group (RTG) to design, build, finance and maintain its new 12.5-kilometer (7.7-mile) Confederation Line Light Rail project.

Following a review of RTG's proposal in December, Ottawa City Council voted unanimously to approve the project and to execute a project agreement with RTG. The finalization marks the commercial and financial close of the Confederation Line project and the beginning of the construction phase.

"Today achieves the end of one long and challenging journey, but also the beginning of another," said Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson. "The city is grateful to our partners in the provincial and federal governments, most specifically Infrastructure Ontario and the National Capital Commission, without whom we would not have achieved such a spectacular result. With procurement now complete, I look forward to working with our new partners in RTG to turn an inspirational vision into an enduring legacy of light-rail public transit in our city."

Construction will begin this spring and is expected to generate more than 3,200 direct person-years of trades employment, 700-person years of highly-skilled technical staff employment and 375 person-years of engineering employment in the Ottawa area. These direct jobs are said to create a multiplier effect in the local economy, which is anticipated to generate more than 20,000 person years of indirect employment during the construction period.